Control mechanism for calculating-machines.



W. WOOLEY.

CONTROL MECHANISM FOR CALCULATING MACHINES APPLICATION FILED JUNE5, 1912.

1,085,957, Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

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' ing mechanism.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM WOOLEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 'IO MOON-HOPKINS BILLING MACHINE COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

CONTROL MECHANISM FOR CALCULATING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

I Patented Feb. 3,1914.

Application filed June 5, 1912. Serial No. 701,787.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM WOOLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Control Mechanism for Calculating-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which the figure represents a side view of my invention as applied to a machine. f

My invention relates broadly to calculating and printing machines, and specific-ally to a key control for back-spacing and driv- .In the use of calculating machines and particularly combined ealculating'and writing machines known as billing machines, it is frequently desirable to list and accumulate-a series of numbers and to print in connection with said numbers corresponding identifying or descriptive numbers or char acters on the same lines with the numbers to which they refer. In many uses of the machine it is desirable to list the numerical quantities or accumulated numbers "at the left hand side of the paper and follow them with their respective identifying characters. Inasmuch as the paper of a calculating machine is normally line-spaced after the printing of every number thereon, the printing of identifying characters on the same line with the printed number requires either that the paper be backwardly line-spaced after the numerical quantity is printed or that the numerical quantity be set u in the machine, but not printed until a ter the identifying characters are printed. This latter process requires that the carriage be back-spaced to the column of the listed numbers in order that the number set up in the machine be printed in the proper place on the paper. In this operation it will be seen that after the number is set up and the identifying characters printed a carriage return key must first be operated to return the carriage to the proper position for the printing of the set up number, and that when the carriage has been so returned the motor key must be operated to print and accumulate the number set up. Thus the printing of each of said numerical quantities involves two operations, to wit, the operation of the carriage return key and the operation of the motor key. Thus if a list of 5,000 numbers is printed in a day 10,000 operations must be performed by the operator in printing said list.

It is the principal object of my invention to obviate the necessity of one of these operations by supplying means whereby both the carriage return operation and the printing operation may be effected by a single actuation of a single key.

Upon a suitable base 1 is mounted a frame 2 upon which travels a movable paper carriage 4-. The movement of the carriage 1 in letter-spacing relationship is controlled by the escapement mechanism 5 which moves the carriage 4 by virtue of the engagement of a pinion 6 which is rotated by the escapement mechanism, with the rack bar 7 mounted upon the carriage 4. A motor 8 operating through a link 9 actuates the moving parts of the calculating mechanism and its associated printing mechanism in the manner well known in the-art. The operatio'n'of the link 9 and its connected parts by -'the motor -8 is controlled by a clutch mechanism including the releasing bar 12 which is operated by a sliding wedge member 10. The wedge member 10 is connected by a rod 11 with the lever 14 of the motor key '15 so that the rocking of the lever 14 by depression of the key 15 throws the clutch mechanism into en agement to operate the link 9 and its ependent calculating and printing mechanism. Operated from the motor 8 by virtue of a train of gearing 15 is a shaft 17 which carries a clutch mechanism 18 adapted to engage the shaft 19 of the esoapement mechanism 5, so that by the rotation of the shaft 17 the shaft 19 will be reversely rotated to return the carriage to its home or extreme right hand position. This carriage return mechanism is controlled by the carriage return key 20 in the manner described and claimed in the copendiing application of Otto Thieme #642,888, filed August 7, 1911. This specific form of carriage return mechanism forms no part of this application. The carriage return key 20 is carried by the lever 21 which is pivoted at 22 and normally held in elevated position by the spring 24. A depression of this lever serves to engage the clutch member 18 to return the carriage.

For the purpose of effecting the carriage return movement together with the operation of the clutch member 12 by .the same manual. operation I provide a bell crank:

lever 25 which is pivoted to the frame 2 at 3 26, and has one arm positioned transversely below a pin or stop 27 which is mounted on the lever 21. The other or dependent arm of the lever 25 is pivoted to a link 28, which link has its other end pivoted at 29 to the lever 14 of the .motor .key 15. The relation 15 tial movement of the lever 21 operates to throw the clutch mechanism 18 into position to perform the carriage return operations. The further depression of the lever 21 rocks the bell crank lever 25, which, by virtue of its connecting link 28, rocks the lever 14. This movement, virtue of the connecting rod 11, moves the sliding Wedge member 1!) so as to. operate the clutch releasing bar 12, which operation engages: the motor drive with the link 9 and operates the calculating and printing mechanism. By virtue of this arrangement ofpairts the operator is enabledby the single actuation of the 'key to effect both the operation oi the carriage return mechanism and the operation of the accumulating and printing mechanism of the calculating .machine.

It is obvious from this construction that it is not necessary to operate the driving mechanism every time the carriage return mechanism is operated, as the carriage .re-

turn key may be released after being depressed sniiicientl'y to engage the canziage return mechanism 1 before it has locked the lever to operate the driving mechanism. It is likewise obvious that the driving mechanism may be controlled independently of the carriage return mechanism by the opera-- tion-of the motor key 15 in the usual fashion.

I am aware that my device is capable of changes and modifications such as will adapt- .it to use in connection with mechanisms oi .torins other than that shown and described, and .I therefore do not wish my invention to be considered as limited to the specific term shown.

I claim; I

In a billing machine, the combination with motor driven operating mechanism, :of

a paper supporting carriage, an escapeinent mechanismthe-refor, a back-spacing device therefor, a motoiya keyjorcausingsaiid inotor to iefi'ectually operate said operating mechanism independentlyof said back spacing device, another key and a connection operable thereby whereby said motor will be engaged-with said carriage to back-spaee...the same and also operate said operating mechanism.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses,

this 23rd day of May, 1912.

WILLIAM VVOQLE'Y.

lVitnesses:

H. L. LANPHEAR, Emir J. MORAN.

Qqpiea of this patent may-be obtained for five cents each, by messing the Commissioner :of Eatbflstfi- Washington, D. -C.'" 

